Apparatus for the loosening of matted fibrous materials



Feb. 15, 19 44. I KERN 2,341,623

APPARATUS FOR THE LQOSENING OF MATTED FIBROUS MATERIALS Filed Aug. 5, 1940 dI;VEN-I R ATTO NEY I Patented Feb. 15, 1944 UNITED STATES, PATENT! oFFicE APPARATUS FOR THE LOOSENING F MATTED FIBROUS MATERIALS Rudolf Kern, Siegburg, Germany; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application August 5, 1940, Serial No. 351,493 In Germany August 4, 1939 (Granted .under the provisions of sec. 14, act of March 2, 1927; 357 0. G.

6 Claims.

chamber. This is necessary in order to dry the material quickly and therefore secure the maximumeffectiveness from the drying chamber. It is also necessary in order to permit uniform drying so that the moisture content of the material will be as nearly constant as possible throughout the mass. The latter is particularly important for commercial reasons.

It' is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus whereby a webof more or less matted moist fibrous material is subjected to relatively high frequency vibrations particularly in a direction transverse to the web whereby the material will be shaken or beaten apart and loosening or flufling thereof is efiected without subjecting the material to a combing or other pulling treatment, which would cause injury to the fibers due to the fact that the Wet strength of such fibers is generally relatively low.

It is another object to provide such a method and apparatus in which in addition to the beating actiona current of air is applied to the web or mat to assist the loosening action.

A.more specific object is-to accomplish these results by passing the web of matted material over a cylinder revolving at highspeed in the direction of movement of the mat, which'cylinder is provided with vanes to impart vibrations to the web as the web passes thereover, which vanes are preferably 50 arranged that at least the ends thereof are tangential.

A further object is to provide the vanes of said cylinder with a plurality of knobs near the edges thereof whereby supplemental vibrations of a transverse wave-like nature are imparted to the web.

Another object is to so arrange said knobs that the knobs .on successive vanes will strike the web at different points so as to impart further wave the attached drawing showing illustrative em-- 'bodiments of the invention and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side viewillustrating one form of apparatus for carrying out the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rotor;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of two adjacent vanes showing the staggered relationship of the knobs;

motion thereto and to assure that all parts of the web are properly beaten 'and loosened.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with Fig, 4 is a corresponding view of two adjacent vanes as viewed at right angles thereto.

Referring to said drawing, the numeral I designates a belt of foraminous material serving to convey a layer A of fibrous material. The belt I passes around roller 2 and 3 designates a pressing roller. The-numeral 4 designates a roller carry- 7 ing a series of vanes 5, say four in number, which vanes are shown as being tangentially arranged. Near the edge of the vanes 5 and on the effective side thereof are arranged a number of knobs 6 preferably of generally hemi-spherical form and as shown in the drawing preferably so arranged that the knobs of one vane are staggered with re spect to the knobs of the next following vane.

l and 8 designate rollers supporting and advancing a conveying belt 9 for transporting away the loosened or flufied material A.

The material A, due to previous treatment and/or to the squeezing or wringing action imparted thereto by roller 3, leaves said roller in a more or less compacted I and matted condition,

making drying thereof difficult. It thereupon passes above and over the roller 4 and vanes 5 which are rotating at a high speed, say two hundred fifty or more revolutions per minute. During this passage, the material A is given a large number of blows by the vanes 5 with the result.

parted thereto, serving to assist further in the loosening of the material. This action is. in-

creased if the knobs 6 of successive vanes are staggered with relation to each other. v

Due to the tangential arrangement of the vanes any tendency for the material to be wrapped around the rotor is effectively avoided. Furthermore, the action of the vanes is such that 9. current of .air is blown against the web of fibrous material, passing therethrough and serving further to loosen and fluff the material.

Due to the impact of these air currents and the beating applied to the Web of material, the web matted fibrous material comprising a device for transporting said material and a rotary vibrating device over which said material is passed, which vibrating device is so constructed and arranged as to impart high frequency blows to the under side of said material and is equipped with tangentialvanes carrying spaced knobs for impartin'g blows to the web at several points transversely of the web.

2. Apparatus for the fluiiing of a web of moist matted fibrous material comprising a device for transporting said material and a rotary vibrating device over which said material is passed, which vibrating device is so constructed and arranged as to impart high frequency blows to the under side of said material and is equipped with tan-' gential vanes carrying spaced knobs for imparting blows to the web at several points transverse- 1y of the web, the blows being so frequent that the web floats above said rotary vibrating device.

3. Apparatus for the flufllng of a web of moist matted fibrous material comprising means for advancing said material and a. rotary vibrating device over which said material is advanced, said vibrating device carrying a. plurality of tangenis caused to fioat over the rotor and thereafter tion on adjacent vanes whereby rapid intermittent blows are imparted to the web.

5. Apparatus for the fiufling or a web of moist matted fibrous material comprising means for advancing said material and a rapidly rotating vibrating device over which said material i ad- 'vanced, said vibrating device carrying a plurality of tangentially arranged vanes provided with spaced hemi-spherical members arranged in staggered relation on adjacent vanes whereby 'rapid intermittent blows are imparted to the web,

the rapid rotation of said vanes also causing air currents to be blown against the underside of the web.

6. Apparatus for the fiufling of a web of moist matted fibrous material comprising means for advancing said material and a rotary vibrating device over which said material is advanced, said vibrating device carrying a plurality of tangentially arranged vanes provided with hemi-spherical knobs spaced laterally across the vanes and in staggered relation with the knobs on adjacent vanes, whereby intermittent blows are imparted both transversely and longitudinally of the web to produce vibratory wave motion in the web.

RUDOLF KERN. 

